Automatic cotton press retainer control



March 8, 1932. I J. J. WALLACE AUTOMATIC COTTON PRESS RETAINER CONTROL Filed April 30, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVEN TOR. Jfiw J- @MJM/f I A TTORNEYS.

March 8, 1932. J. J. WALLACE AUTOMATIC COTTON PRESS RETAINER CONTROL 3 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed April 30, 1929 U INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

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J. J. WALLACE AUTOMATIC COTTON PRESS RETAINER CONTROL Filed April 30, 1929 March 8, 1932.

Patented Mar. 8, 193 2 HAQFFICE msmnx meuwu mmi o mTnmoU SIANe,JASSIGNQB r (mums emeomr retry, on rum, LOUISINA,'A oo-nronegrlon erron'rs e m To em corronrnnss hammer; common Application filed April 30,

, The intention forming the snbject matter of this application comprises an ettaohment adapted to be -.c01 1-nec.ted to the framework 8 ,oit wcotton andzto the press boxes n order toicontrol the rotation of the shatt from '15 hoxwhi'le it is heingrginnedendttamped. 8

1 object :of the inrcentionzis, topmvide an attachment which can readily be,8appliedto any of thehand-operatedshafts now in acommon nse sto )contro'l the positioning act 0 the retaining fingers in-:the press box. 8 Another object of the invention is to pro vide' a meens'iforeutomaticaily releasing the V shaft controlling attachment whenever the 'press box is rotated from position :underthe EPEHLPQI'EtQ a iposition .8over'the :baling'ram.

Qt-her obg'ectsof the invention wili become apparent as the detailed des'cription gthereoi proceeds." 8' 8 8 *in the-ldrawings- V 8 I 8 g o Figure is aiside elevation of a cotton press iprovided with any attachments Figure 2 an tend eleization of the press, the sew heingetaken on the :righthand 8 end of the mach iine as shown in Figure/ 1 5 Fignre'fijis a fragmentary and elevation .ot apressbox eqriippedwith this invention,

' e flew ibe gtakenfrom 2 8 letthand end Figurel'j I -8 8 8 8 I Figureis ahorizontalsection taken on heilin igure 8; nq

8 'JE gurefi .isapersp ctl e l wo' th T1 1 ing device forming partofthisinvention.

.As shown Figure 1 ,i .theIinVent-ion Com-Y prises .a shaitt-Llnotatably mounted in bear- 82, 3,.A and v.5, suitably se c redto a door 68 oithepness box ;7. Thei f-l x e -P88? pend oulamly @2 sl t :8, 89, 81 0 end 11 8 termed ilfiatlle door 88 end :netaining fingers 81 3., 3 4,115 :end 16 extend radially from the 7 1929; Serial No. 359w; f

shaft *1 through the' said slots 8,"9, 1;0 and ll grespectively;

Y The Jfingersere'rigidly oonnectedkto the shaft 1 in any suitable manner; and the end of the shaft 1 projects beyondthe-outer end 17 of the press box 7. Fixedly secured on the shaft 1 where it projects beyond the end 17 oithe press box is a weight 18 hayinga face I ,g 1 9 adaptedto contact with strip 28 formed on {the end of shaft 21 which is journale'd in bearings 22, suitably secured to the end 1'7 of the press box. I

' The sleeve-23 is fixed to shaft 21 between the bearings 22'; and this sleeve is provided with ling 24 adapted to contact with the end 17 and form estop to hold the said sleeve inf a predetermined position required for eperation-ofa trip plate 25 which ex tends from said sleeve and terminates in a.

cam member 26.-

Thecain member 26 isprelferabl y integral with the trip plate 25 and the connection be tween the two is reinforced by a rib 27. "Each end ofthe shaft 21'has siiitablysecured thereto a trip-lug 28, which extends radially from the said shait and isin rotatableicontact with the-onterside or" adjacent bearing 22 to secure the shaft 821 againstylongitudinal mOVQment in its bearings 22. 1

"W en the trip pla 2 is in r prma :p'osition, as shownet the letthandend lot -Figtrre 1, the trip lug 28 is injthe path of swing-oi the weight 18 and prevents rotation 05E the shaft 1 in order to hold the fingers 13, 14,15 and 8 16 against rotationinan upward direction in the press box 87 duringlthe 'trarnping" of the cotton therein, 88As will be apparent from the drawings, downward novernent of the said fingers is always permitted "because 8 there is nothing to prevent rotation of the weightl8 away fro nthe trip'h g28.

When the press is swung around to bring the press box -7 *over the 1 baling ra n 29, the curved edge 30 of the cam plate 26 slides over theedge 31-ofa plate 32, secured'to a 001111 11133 forming part of the framework of the press.:- As will be apparent from "Figures 1 and 4, contact between' -the cam plate 26 and the plate 32 raises the plate-=26 and causes rotation of the shaft 21 to irnove the path of swing of the 4, the weight 18 is free to swing in either direction and the fingers 13, 14, 15 and 16 are free to rotate upwardly in the press box 7 as the cotton is forced upward by the bailing action of the ram 29.

The npperedge of the door 6 is provided with a ledge which acts as a stop engageable with the platform 34 in order to supportthe door 6 in such position as to prevent the swinging weight 18 coming inecontact with the platform.

As will be apparent from the disclosure so far, this invention converts the ordinary hand-control pressure finger mechanism into an automatically operable device which requires no attentlon from the operator of the press to which the invention may be applied.

The device does not depend for its operationnpon pressure from within the box. As

is shown in Figures 1 and 2, when cotton is fed into the box 7 from the top of the tramper it pushes the cotton already in the box down past the fingers 13, 14, 15 and 16, the weight 18 swinging outwardly of the door 6 to permit this rotation of the fingers. As soon as the tramper block rises from the inside of the box 7, the cotton also rises in the box and impinges against the retaining fingers which are then prevented from rotation upwardly in the box by engagement of the rear edge 19 of weight 18 with the trip lug 28.

When the trip lug 28 is rotated out of the path of swing of the weight 18, the shaft 1 is free to rotate in either direction. This condition always exists when the press box is rotated into its position above the baling ram 29, in which position the pressure on the cotton is always upward and the retaining fingers must be moved out of the way of the cotton being baled. I

Since the finger retaining shafts are the same on all four doors of the cotton press, and since all the parts connected thereto are structurally identical with the corresponding parts previously described, the corresponding elements on all the doors are designated by the same reference numerals as have been applied to the elements so far described.

While I have shown the locking element of this device as mounted onthe outer ends of the press boxes to cooperate with an operating plate fixed on an outer part of the supporting framework, it istobe understood that the invention is not to be considered as in any way limited to thisparticular location of the cooperating parts. The parts named may be just as readily mountedon the inner doors of the press boxes to cooperate with a plate fixed to the supporting column between the/two press boxes; and the claims of this application will be drawn accordingly to .cover the invention broadly.

What I claim is:

1. In a cotton press operating in co-ordination with a tramper and baling ram, the combination with a press box havin a door, a shaft journaled on said door, a finger fixed to said shaft and normally extending into said press box so as to intersect the line of transmitted force from the tramper or the baling' ram, a stop normally engaging said shaft and preventing oscillation thereof beyond its normalposition in one direction but permitting oscillation of said shaft in the opposite direction, and means for releasing said stop from its normal engaging position.

2. In a cotton press, operating in co-ordination :with a tramper and baling ram, the combination with a press box havinga door, a shaft journaled on said door, a finger'fixed to said shaft and normally extending into said press box so as to intersect the line of transmitted force from the tramper or baling ram, a weight or. said shaft normally maintaining said finger in extended position through gravity, a stop normally engaging said shaft and preventingoscillationthereof beyond its normal position in one direction but I permitting oscillation of said shaft in the opposite'directiomand means for releasing said-stopIfromits'normal engaging positlOIlfi .7 .2 a 7 Y 3. In a cotton press as claimed in claim 2, the stop 'and releasing means'comprising a shaft carrying the stop inter-engaging with said first named shaft and a cam on said second named shaft engageable with a fixed element for tilting said second named shaft and releasing said stop.

4. In a cotton press operating in co-ordination with a tramper and baling ram, the com bin ation with a' press box rotatable on an extraneous axis to a position from beneath said tramper to above said ba ling ram, said press box having a door, a shaft journaled on said door, a finger'fixed to said shaft, means for normally maintaining said finger extended into said press box, so as to inter-sect the lines of transmitted force from the tramper or the baling ram, a stopnormally engaging said shaftand preventing oscillation thereof be yond its normal position in one direction but permitting oscillation of said shaft in the opposite direction, and means for releasing said stop from its normal engaging position, actuable by means which said releasing means engages whensaid press box assumes position above said baling ram.

5. In a cotton press operating in co-ordination with a tramper and baling ram, a com} bination with a pressbox rotatable upon an extraneous axis from a position beneath said tramper to a position above said baling ram, saidpress box having a door, a shaft journaled on said door, a finger fixed'to said shaft, a weight on said shaft normally main-- taining, said'finger extended into said press box so as to intersect the line of transmitted force from the tramper or the baling ram, a stop normally engaging said shaft and preventing oscillation thereof beyond its normalposition in one direction but permitting V oscillation of said shaft in the opposite direction, and "means for releasing said stop from its normal engaging position, compris inga second shaft on said press box" upon which said stop is mounted, and a cam on said a second named shaft engageable with a fixed element when said press box assumes a position above said'baling ram, for tilting said second :named shaft and thereby releasing said stop.

6. In a cotton press the-combination with s a press box having a hinged door provided with a slot, a shaft rotatably mounted on said door and having a part projecting beyond one edge of the door, a finger extending laterally from said shaft, a weight fixed to said part and depending therefrom to hold said finger projecting throughsaid slot substantially perpendicularly to the inside of. said door, a second shaft rotatably mounted a on one end of said box and having atrip fin ger movable by rotation of the second shaft into and'o'ut of engagement with said weight -to lock theafirst named shaft against rotation by upward pressure on said finger when f j I V edge of the door, a finger extending laterally fromrsaid shaft, a weight fixed to said part the door is closed, means to rotate the second shaft on said end,cand stop means on said second shaft to limit the rotation of said second shaft relative to said end.

7. In a cotton press a supporting frame, a

press box rotatably mounted on said frame and having a hinged door provided with a slot, a shaft rotatably mounted on said door and having'a part projecting beyond one to hold said finger projected through said slot perpendicularlyto said door when the dooris closed, means on one end of said press boxand adjustable into and out of engagement with the first named means to lock the shaft against rotation by upward pressure against said finger, and cooperating means connected tosaid framework and to the sec- 1 ond'namedmeans for releasing said shaft when the press box is moved to a predeter "mined'position in said frame.

i 8. In acotton press, a frame, a press box rotatably mounted on said frame and having a hinged'door provided with a slot, a shaft rotatable on said door and having a part proj ecting beyond one edge thereof, a finger extending laterally from said shaft, 21 weight fixedon said partto hold the finger projected through said slot perpendicularly to the door when the door is closed, and gravity controlled means adjustable into and out of-engagement with said weightto lock the shaft against rotation bynpward pressure against said fingersr V c I 9. In a cotton press, a frame having a pair of vertical columns, a press box rotatably" mounted on said frame and having a hinged door provided with a slot, a shaft rotatable on said door and having apart projecting beyond one edge thereof, a finger extending laterally from said shaft, a weight fixed on tated on said frame to a predetermined posi-';

tion and operate said gravity control means to release said shaft; j

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

JEFFREY JOHN WALLACE. 

